Victoria weather smashes 120-year-old temperature record

“I love it,” the 57-year-old said Wednesday, during a break from a game of pickleball with friends at Oak Bay’s Carnarvon Park. “The hotter, the better.”

He’s training for a half marathon and a marathon, both in Hawaii, in September and December, respectively. Pickleball and running are his two main methods of training, and he loves the current heat wave hitting Victoria.

“Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate,” he stressed.

Temperatures reached 28 C in the Greater Victoria area Wednesday, and Tuesday’s high of 28.4 C smashed a more-than-120-year-old temperature record — 21.7 C, set in 1898.

Clark’s friend, 76-year-old Al Vandenberg, who organizes the weekday pickleball games, said while the group enjoys the warm weather, the heat can affect stamina.

“We like it when it’s like this,” he said, but “you can’t play as long.”

Sam Flynn, a mother, was also conscious of the heat. She packed hats, sunscreen, towels, snacks, water and bathing suits for her visit to the nearby waterpark with her children, three-and-a-half-year-old Mable and 10-month-old Lennox. The group, alongside a few friends, made sure to find a spot under a tree at the park.

Shade is key, Flynn said, especially for Lennox.

“He’s so young… but it’s hard to just sit at home all day.”

Victoria was one of seven communities across B.C. to see record-breaking temperatures Tuesday. Records were also broken in Clinton, Gibsons, Pemberton, Sechelt, Squamish and Whistler.

Alix Jean, who spent a part of Wednesday afternoon with friends under a tree at a park, said while the heat is great now, she’s concerned about what the hot temperatures may mean for later in the summer.

“I’m a bit concerned what happens in August,” she said, pointing to last year’s wildfires.